Can-conveyer.



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try lffrc'c'eff m wqfi H C. PRIVETT.

CAN CONYEYER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1915. RENEWED Mn. 19.1911.

1,2251172. Patented May 8,1917.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. PRIVETT, F LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO PACIFIC CANNING MACHINERY COMPANY, 0]? LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FORNIA.

Application filed April 29, 1915, Seriai No. 24,847. Renewed March 19, 1917.

To alluho'm it may concern:

' Be it known that. I, HENRY C. Parvnrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles I I and State of California, have invented a new and useful Can-Conveyer, of which the following is a specification. An object of this invention is to make provision'whereby containers such as cans canbe suitably conveyed during cooking or .other operations. Another object of this'invention is the production of a device of this character in .which a maximum number of cans may be operated on in a minimum amount of space, thereby effecting economy in the amount of space required for the operation. 3 ..Another object is to produce a device in A; which cans may be treated with steam in 3 minimum amount 'of space for a definite i. rcgulable interval of time.

.Another object is to provide a construction iavhereby the rate of discharge of cans from the tank may be different than the rate of travel of the cans in the tank.

\ .Another object is to provide a construc- .tion whereby the cans may be retained in the itank while the device is in operation, for a longer period of time than that required for the can to travel from the inlet to the outlet of the tank, so as to prolong the cook ing of the contents of the cans.

Another object is to make provision for rolling of the cans relative to a moving carrier so as to reduce the ,friction between the cans and carrier to a minimum if it becomes desirable to retain the cans in the tank for a longer period of time than that tothe outlet of the tank.

Another object is tominimize wastage of .steam due to introduction of the cans to the A cooking tank and exit'of the cans therefrom.

in the subjoined detail description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, on irre ular line indicated by .2:-.r, Fig. 2, of a. evice embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan section on line indicated b y";r w'-, Fig. 1.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- a required for the cans to travel from the inlet" 40 Other objects and advantages may appear CAN-CONVEYER.

Patented May 8. 1917.

Serial No. 155,944.

out form of valve than those shown in Figs.

1, 2. 3 and 7.

There is provided a tank or stuffing box comprising a side plate 1, preferably cylindrical, a top plate 2 fastened by bolts 3 to the side plate, and a bottom plate & fastened developed secby bolts 5 to the side plate. The bottom plate =1 rests on a suitable support such as a base (3 having legs 7.

The tank is provided with an inlet 8 in the top plate 2 and is provided with an outlet 9 in the side plate 1 and is also pro vided in its interior with a frame to strengthenthe same, said frame comprising in this instance top and bottom grids 10 11 and standards 12 bolted to the top and bottom grids.

The bottom grid is provided with a socket 13 to accommodate the lower end of a central shaft 14 which extends through a central orifice 15 in the top plate 2.

The interior of the tank is provided with alternatively arranged superposed disks 16, 17, the disks 16 being provided with central orifices 18 and the intermediate disks 17 being bolted or otherwise fastened to sleeves 19 which are fastened by pins 20 or equivalents to the shaft 14.

Means are provided to drive the disks 16, 17, and said guides from the plates to wit groups The shafts 23 are provided with collars 25, said collars having their inner faces abutting against the edges of the disks 16, 17 toprevent lateral shifting of theldisks 16;- and the shafts 23 of one group of bevel E inions 22-are provided with s ur rs 26.

be under sur aces of the'di' 1 engage idler rollers 27 mounted on the inner ends of idler shafts 28, which are journaled in bearin' 29 of the standards 12, there being spur pinions 30 rotatably mounted on some of the idler shafts and meshing with the spur gears 26 so that the spur gears and v spur pinions all-toglegher form a gear train.

' It is thus seen t t-the bevel pinions 22 and idler rollers 27 form rolling supports for the peripheral margins of *the disks 16, 1-7 respectively. One of the shafts 23 having one of the spur gears 26 isprovided lWlth an extension 31dpassing through a land 32 of the side w 1, said extension aving on its outer end suitable driving means as a pulley- 33 designed toibe engaged by .a belt, not shown. For the disks 16, 17 there are provided spiral runways 34 formed by spiral guides 35 spaced apart from said disks and riveted or otherwise fastened to supporting plates 36,'alternate su orting lateshaving hubs 37, 37 surroun iii 1 ends of said hubs 37 resting on the upper g the aft 14, the lower ends of the collars 19 and .the lower ends of the hubs 37 resting on the up r ends of the hubs'37'so as to support e runway platesggctlivere-bein one of said spiral runways een the isks of each pair of disks rejecting downward hin a sli ht distance of the upper surfaces of the di 17.

Thesplrals of the different disks may be of duphcate construetion,-as shown.

Means are provided to guide cans from the inner ends of the runways of the disks 16 to the inner ends of the runways of the disks 17 and said guide means are constructed as follows: Each runway 34 of the disks 16 is-provided at its inner end with a chute having a top 38 flush with one of the adjacent stationary plates 36 and bent downwardly and outwardly to form a curved end wall 39, said chute also having side walls 40, 41.:fastened to the guide 35 to form an inward extension of the runway and said chute having a downwardly and inwardly sloping floor'42 flushat its outer edge with its disk 16 and spaced apart at its inner edge from the end wall 39 toforma port Means are provided to guide cans from the outer ends of the runways'of the disks 17 to the oute'r-ends-of the runways of the disks 16 and said guide means are constructed as follows:

Each of the runways of the disks 17, excepting the bottom disk, is provided at its outer end with a chute having a top 44 flush with itsadjaeent stationary plate 36 and bent downwardly and inwardly to form a. curved end wall 45, said chute also having downwardly and inwardly slanting side walls 46, 47 fastened to the guide 35 to form an;outward lextension of the runway and said chute havin a. downwardly and outwardly slopin oor 48 flush at its inner edge with 1tslisk 17 and spaced apart at its outer edge from the end wall to form a ort 49 so that cans rolling down the floor Wlll roll from said floor through said portand down said end walls, to the bottom 50 of the chute and thence to the upper surface of the disk 16 nest below.

The tank is provided with entrance and exit valves which will now be described.

The shaft 14 is provided on its upper end I with a cylindrical valve 51 having ockets or compartments 52 open at top and ottom and closedon all sides, each pocket holding one can. The kets receiveycans a from a :pout- 53 and roll said cans on the top 2 rough a segmental valve casing 54 closely fitting the top and sides of the valve and;

instance shown in the drawings, said valve is provided at its rim with spur gear teeth 59 meshing with a spur pinion 60 mounted on a jack shaft 61 which is journaled in a bearin 62 mounted on the top of the tank and w ich is provided on its outer end with asprocket 63 connected by a sprocket chain 64 with a sprocket wheel 65 that is mounted on the driving shaft extension 31.

The bottom disk 17 and its associated runway 34discharge through a downwardly and outwardly inclined spout 66 into a cylindrical valve casing 67 which is provided with a cylindrical valve '68 having pockets 69 in "its geriphery, said valve being-turned by a she by a belt 72 to a pulley 73 that is mounted on the shaft extension 31.

The valve casing 67 may be provided at one side as in Fig. 7, with a port 74 and on its opposite side with ports 75 spaced apart to correspond with the spacing of the pockets 69, said ports inter-communicating with one another through a manifold 76, or said valve casing may be. provided, as in Fig. 0, with diametrically opposite ports 77 interconnected by a tube 78, there being but four pockets in Fig. 9 whereas in Fig. 7 there are six ockets, the advantage of the greater num r of pockets and ports being that some 70 having a. pulley 71 connected vand discharge, as water, with the cans j through' the valve outlet 79. a

, 'If the device is to be used for cooking the eontent's of the can, steam from a suitable sourceof supply, not shown, passes through a feed pi pe to a perforated coil 81 mounted .in the lowenend of the tank) In practice if it is desired that the device be used as a continuous cooker, with steam under pressure, the valve 82 will be openedto admit steam from the feed ,pipe 80 fShQVVl'l, to the pn 17 in opposite directions, and to turn the through the steam coil 81 to the interior of the tank and power derived from a suitable source will be aplied through a belt, not

lley 33 to turn the disks 16,

valve 51. in the direction of the arrow 83,

Fig. 3,

Then cans a/will be fed into the spout 53' and willgravitate to the pockets 52, and

said. cans will then. 'be automatically rolled '.by the valve-"51 through the valve casing 54,

, and will di'op through the inlet 8 and roll down a chute 84 through an orifice in the [upper runway plate 36 to the upper disk 16.

. [As the valve 51 turns, the cans one by one dropouto the upper disk lfi'andare carried by'said disk ina circular path, the runway guidefifi"gradually forcing the cans radially nward toward the shaft 14. Thus the cans will be forced. close together to form a continuous spiral chain of cans extending from the inner end of the upper runway 34: to the Q outer end ofsaid runway.

' Steam that has passed from the tank M through the inlet 8 into the adjacent pocket 52 of the valve 51 will be carried along by said pocket to the port 56 and will then expand through the manifold 58 and ports 57 nto other of the pockets 52 containing cans,

thus savings, certain per cent. of the steam,

jiifor the pressure tends to become equalized in those pockets that are interconnected by the mani old. i

I When the cans reach the inner end of the upper runway 34, the curved chute wall 40 will force the cans oil of the/upper disk 16 a onto the sloping floor 42 and the cans will roll down Silld floor through the port 43 and be guided by the end wall 39 in a re- ,verse direction onto the next lower disk 17.

Said cans will then be carried by the said jdisk 1 7 outwa'rd'from the shaft 14 and will gradually be forced radially outward by the .l appropriate runway guide 35 toward the {periphery of said disk 17 until the curved. chute Wall. 46:15 r ached, said curved wall.

forcingjthe can of! of the disk 17 onto the The cans roll down the cans toward the shaft 1.4 in the same way of the steam will condense in the pockets as above described in connection with the up per disk 16. i

Thus the cans will be carried in super not shown.

' .cooke instance, forty minutes, the belt 72 will not Pressure of the steam will he equalized b the manifold 76, Fig.. 7, or by the tube 7 Fig. 9. v

"rom the foregoing it is clear that as: sumin the contents of the cans are to be for a definite interval of time, for

be connected up to the pulley 73 until the interval of forty minutes has passed. This is possible because, even if the first can entering the inlet 8 should reach the spout 66 before the desired interval of time has elapsed, the cans held back by the non-rotating valve 68 will be caused to revolve on the turning disks 16, 17, and thus held bodily'stationary relative to the tank, and when the desired interval of time has elapsed the belt '72 will be brought into engagement with the pulley 73 to turn the-valve 68 and release the cans one at a time fromthe tank.

If the deviceis to be used an exhaust box, instead of feeding steam to the tank, air will beexhausted through the coil 81 by 'any suitable means, not shown, and the ous cooker to cook food stuffs such as fruits not requiring steam under pressure, the

valves may, of course, be omitted.

A valve 87 maybe provided to exhaust steam from the tank when desired.

What I claimds:

1. Av can-conveyer comprising superposed disks, means to turn adj ace'nt disks in opposite directions, and means to guide cans carried by the disks from the central. portion of one disk tothe periphery of a second one of said disks and from the periphery of the second disk to the central portion of said second disk.

2. .A can-convever comprising superposed disks, means to turn adjacent disks in opposite directions, and means to guide cans carried by the disks from the periphery of one disk to the central portion of a second one of said disks and from saidccntral portion to the periphery of said second disk.

3. A can-conveyor comprising superposed disks, means to turn said disks, spiralv runiio central rtion to the periphery of said secway mounted above each disk, and means to guide cans from one spiral runway to another.

4. A can-conveyer comprising superposed disks, means to turn said disks, a stationary spiral runway mounted above each disk, and means to guidecansfrom one spiral runway to another. g

5. A can-conveyor com rising superposed disks, means to turn sa' disks in opposite directions, a s iral runway mounted above each disk, an means to guide cans from one spiral runway to another.

6. A, can'L-conveyer comprising superposed disks, means to turn sai disks in opposite directions,;. a spiral runway stationarily mounted above each disk, and means to guide cans from one spiral runway to another.

7. A can-oonveyer comprising superposed disks, means to turn the disks, and means to guide cans carried by the disks from the central portion of one disk to the periphery of a second one of said disksand from the periphery of the second disk to the central portion of said second disk.-

8. A can-conveyor comprisin superposed disks, means to turn the disks, a d mean; to guide cans carried by the disks from the periphery of ne disk to the centralportion of a second one of said disks and from said ond di 9. A can-conveyer comprising super sed disks,-the upper disk having a centra -orifice, means to turn said disks in opposite directions, a spiral runway for each disk, and

- means to guide cans from the inner end of posed disks, the intermediate disk the runway of the upper disk through said' central orifice to the inner end of the runway of the lower disk.

10. A can-conveyer comprisingl superaving a central orifice, means to turn said disks in opposite directions, a spiral runway for each. disk, means to guide cans from the inner end of the runway of the upper disk through said central orifice to the inner end of t e runway of the intermediate disk,,and means to guidecans from the outer end of the runwe of the intermediate disk to the outer en of the runway of the lower disk.

11. A can -'conveyer comprising a tank having an inlet and anoutlet, and means to move a can in superposed spiral paths from said inlet to said outlet.

12. A can'conveyer comprising superposed disks, gear teeth on the adjacent faces of said disks, runways for said disks, a gear meshing with the gear teeth on the disks,

- and means to turn said gear.

13. A can-conveyer comprising superposed disks, the upper disk having a central'orifice, means to turn said disks, a spiral runway for each disk, and means to guide cans from against the edgesof said disks, and means to drive one of said rolling supports.

15. A can-conveyer comprising atank, a vertical central shaft mounted on the bottom of the tank, superposed disks in the tank, alternate disks havin central orifices and the disks between sai alternate disks being provided with sleeves fastened to the shaft, plates arranged above each disk, said plates having hubs, the hubs of the plates above the orificed disks resting on the other hubs, and said other hubs resting on the upper ends of the collars, spiral guides ex tending downward from the plates, and means to turn the disks in opposite directions.

16. A vcan-conveyer comprising a tank having an inlet and an outlet, means in the tank to carry and ide cans from the inlet to the outlet, a cy indrical valve rotatably mounted on the top of the tank and provided with kets open at totg and bdttom, a; valve casing mounted on e tank adjameans to turn said valve, and an exit valve at the.outlet.

17. A can-conveger comprising a tank having an inlet an anoutlet, means in the tank to carry and guide cans from the inlet a to the outlet, rotatably mounted cylindrical valves having pockets, covering some of said=pockets and commumca with the inlet and outlet respectively, and casings having ports communicating with difiemnt pockets of the valves respectively. as said valves turn, manifolds connecting the ports of the respective casings, and means to turn said valves. i I

18. The combination with a tank, ,of a valve casing provided with ports, acylindrical valve rotatablymounted to turn in the casing and provided with pockets communicating with the ports successively as the valve turns, a spout communicating with the interior of the casing ata point imdway circumferentially between said ports, and communicating with the interior of the tank,

a tube interconnecting said. ports, an outlet from the casing, and means to turn the valve. g

19. The combination with a tank,-of a valve casing communicatin with the interior of the tank and provided with ports, a cylindrical valve rotatabl mounted to turn in the casing and rovi ed with pock-' ets communicating wit the ports sum nectin sivelys as the valve turns, a tube inter-consaid ports, an outlet circumferentiallyin the valve casing between said ports, and means to turn the valve.

In combination, disks, means to turn the disks in opposite directions, spiral runways for the disksrespectively, and a chute connecting the inner end of one runway to the inner end of another ofthe runways.

21. In combination, disks, means to turn the disks in opposite directions, spiral runways for the disks respectively, and a chute connecti lg the outer end of onerunway to the outer end of 'another of the runways.

22. In combination, superposed disks, means to turn the disks in'op osite directions, spiral runways for the isks respec tively, and a chute having curved sides forming an extension of the sides of the upper one of said runways, said chute having a curved end wall and having a sloping floor flush with the edge ofthe upper disk and spaced apart from the end wall to form a port.

23. A can-conveyer comprising superposed disks, the intermediate disk having a central orifice, means to turn said disks, a spiral runway for each disk, means to guide cans from the inner'end'of the runway of the upper disk through said central orifice to the inner end of the runway of the intermediate disk, and means to guide cans from the outer end of the runway of the intermediate disk to the outer end of the runway of the lower disk.

24. In combination, disks, means to turn the disks, spiral runways for the disks respectively, and a chute connecting the inner end of the one runway to the inner end of another of therrunways. a

25. In combination, disks,'means to turn the disks, spiral runways for the disks respectively, and a chute connecting the outer end of one runway to the outer end of another of the runways. v

26. In combination, superposed, disks, means to turn the disks, spiral runways for the disks respectively, and a chute having curved sides forming an extension of the sides of the upper one of said runways, said chute having a curved end wall andhaving a sloping floor flush with the edge of the upper disk and spaced apart from the end wall'to form a port.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 22nd day of April, 1915.

HENRY C. PRIVETT. 

